Press Play with Madeleine Brand: California case: free speech v. abortion rightsCrisis pregnancy centers are generally run by pro-life groups that aim to convince pregnant women not to get abortions. A California law requires that employees tell their clients that the state offers free and low-cost abortions and other family planning services. Now a group of these centers is arguing that the law violates their freedom of speech.

UnFictionalUnbelievably true stories of chance encounters that changed the world. A pair of mail-order shoes that led to the film The Outsiders. A secret road to a California paradise. The day LA and smog first met. Stories that will stick in your head like a memory. It’s UnFictional, hosted by Bob Carlson.

The DocumentThe Document is a new kind of mash-up between documentaries and radio. It goes beyond clips and interviews, mining great stories from the raw footage of documentaries present, past and in-progress. A new episode is available every other Wednesday on iTunes and wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.

To the PointA weekly reality-check on the issues Americans care about most. Host Warren Olney draws on his decades of experience to explore the people and issues shaping – and disrupting - our world. How did everything change so fast? Where are we headed? The conversations are informal, edgy and always informative. If Warren's asking, you want to know the answer.

Vladimir Putin and the "Ghost Convoy"

Almost 300 Russian Army trucks, painted white, are somewhere on the road between Moscow and the Eastern Ukrainian border. Vladimir Putin calls the convoy humanitarian aid for a crisis the West is ignoring; Ukraine suspects it’s a “Trojan Horse” to help Russian separatists.

FROM THIS EPISODE

Almost 300 Russian Army trucks, painted white, are somewhere on the road between Moscow and the Eastern Ukrainian border. Vladimir Putin calls the convoy humanitarian aid for a crisis the West is ignoring. Ukraine suspects it’s a “Trojan Horse” to help Russian separatists. With Russian troops already stationed near Ukraine, the world is watching “the ghost convoy on tour.” Meantime, there are calls for the US to send arms to Ukraine… and more economic sanctions to isolate Putin. We’ll hear the pros and cons.

Also, racial tension rises in Ferguson, Missouri, and Biden breaks up with Maliki.

Banner Image: A Russian convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid for Ukraine drives along a road near the city of Yelets August 12, 2014. The convoy carrying tons of humanitarian aid left on Tuesday for eastern Ukraine, where government forces are closing in on pro-Russian rebels, but Kiev said it would not allow the vehicles to cross onto its territory. Ukrainian presidential aide Valery Chaly told journalists the cargo will be reloaded onto other transport vehicles at the border by the Red Cross. Russia said it would transfer the convoy to the aegis of the International Committee of the Red Cross, but made no reference to the demand the goods be reloaded. The European Union said the aid would have to be verified. REUTERS/Nikita Paukov

Since police killed an unarmed black man on Saturday, there’s been racial tension in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri. Last night, there was another shooting — this time of another black man, accused of pointing a gun at police officers. Wesley Lowery is reporting from Ferguson for the Washington Post.

In the Eastern Ukrainian City of Luhansk, at least 2000 people have been killed and 5000 injured — pro-Russian separatists, Ukrainian troops and civilians. Yesterday, 278 Russian Army trucks, painted white, left Moscow and headed toward the Eastern Ukrainian border. Russian President Vladimir Putin says they’re loaded with humanitarian aid, but Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko smells a “Trojan Horse.”

In 2009, newly elected President Barack Obama gave Vice President Joe Biden responsibility for helping to wind down the war in Iraq. As is his habit, Biden struck up a telephone relationship with President Nouri al-Maliki. But this week, Biden put in a call to a different number. The man he called this week is Haider al-Abadi, chosen by Iraq’s President to become that country’s new Prime Minister. Evan Osnos wrote about Biden’s telephone habits as part of a lengthy profile for the New Yorker magazine.